Integrating ShoreTel’s Call Manager to Microsoft Communications Server (OCS) and Exchange Server with AudioCodes Media Gateways

ShoreTel’s unique purpose-built distributed voice architecture forms the heart of the unified communications platform, allowing for its rich feature set and highly reliable distributed voice services. Along with IP telephony, contact center, and unified communications services, it scales with plug-and play ease across as many sites as needed.

AudioCodes has collaborated with Microsoft to provide ShoreTel customers with a smooth migration from the world of separated telephony and IT environments, to the world of Unified Communications. AudioCodes offers the enterprise customer a key component in the unified telephony network, the Media Gateway that connects the ShoreTel system with Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007. AudioCodes Mediant Media Gateways are cost-effective VoIP media gateways utilizing cutting edge technology. Intelligently packaged in a stackable 1U chassis, they are designed to interface between Enterprise legacy telephony and IP networks. The AudioCodes MediaPack and Mediant Media Gateways support different standalone and modular configurations, enabling the connection of the Microsoft Unified Communications solution to ShoreTel Systems using different types of telephony interfaces, including E1/T1/J1 spans, Basic Rate Interfaces (BRIs) and/or analog ports in various FXO/FXS configurations.

ShoreTel’s integration with Microsoft Office Communication Server (OCS) and Microsoft Exchange server gives workers new ways to increase productivity and collaboration without having to change their habits. Users simply access telephony, IM, and presence capabilities directly from within Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Office applications. They also can control their ShoreTel IP Phone from within Microsoft Office Communicator (MOC), helping to ensure smooth connectivity across their entire work environment.

The ability to use either ShoreTel Call Manager or MOC for these functions gives users the best of both worlds. For instance, a company’s sales and marketing groups may prefer MOC because they are already familiar with the application, while its call center and operators enjoy and rely on the advanced telephony capabilities of ShoreTel Call Manager.

AudioCodes media gateways offer a simple and robust way to inter-connect ShoreTel and Microsoft for voice services, such as softphone dialing and conferencing. In addition to the typical TDM to SIP conversion, AudioCodes Mediant Media Gatweays also support SIP-to-SIP interfaces, enabling integration of two dissimilar SIP-based systems. AudioCodes and ShoreTel have recently validated interoperability in an SIP-to-SIP configuration, mediating differences and allowing interconnection with Microsoft to enable voice services with Microsoft OCS 2007 R2.

Shoretel Compatible Media Gateways for Integration with Microsoft OCS – Features

• Installation & Maintenance - AudioCodes’ Media Gateways are very easy to install within the Shoretel environment. Shoretel and AudioCodes both offer transparent integration of products, while their superior support organizations allow quick installation, easy troubleshooting, and reduced cost of ownership of the VoIP system.
• Simultaneous support of PBX connections to Microsoft Exchange Server & Microsoft Office Communications Server